Prometheus: What Did You Think? [Spoilers]

So after all the trailers (and synthetic human viral videos), Prometheus has finally hit Australian cinema screens. Has Ridley Scott done it again? Is it worth the hype? Danny and I have seen it, and to add fuel to the hype cauldron, we’d say it’s a pretty wicked sci-fi flick in its own right, but it’s not an instant classic.

DANNY: In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan credited with the creation of man and the theft of fire for human use. He is revered by ancient Greeks as divinity. In Ridley Scott’s don’t-call-it-a-prequel to Alien, Prometheus is the name of the spaceship following an ancient star map to a distant planet.

Add in common knowledge that Scott’s story concept was also partially inspired by the “earth creating ancient astronauts” of Erich von Daniken (author of Chariots of the Gods?), and you can see the direction the film is headed in.

LUKE: With all the promotional material that was released before Prometheus hit cinemas, you could be forgiven for thinking this one might be a suckfest. Depending on how you view the film, that might actually be the case.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

LUKE: We start the film with a few establishing scenes where Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Dr Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) are discovering ancient finger paintings resembling star maps, before cutting into a tour around the Prometheus decks with our resident show-stealing Synthetic named David (Michael Fassbender).

We’re told that there are 17 people on-board this exploratory vessel, and for me that instantly creates a problem. How are we going to adequately explore 17 characters in 124 minutes? Any chance we could have consolidated some characters and saved the disappointment when we didn’t get to meet them all?

Our crowded crew lands on this distant world and they begin exploring an alien pyramid for signs of the beginning of the universe. We get our first few casualties here and I know that they annoyed Danny.

DANNY: Absolutely. Say you’re a biologist on a distant world. You see a snake-like alien that kinda looks like a hentai tentacle penis cross bred with a Venus Fly Trap. Don’t pat it like it’s cute or coo to it like a scared puppy.

One way or another, you’re about to be f**ked. In the mouth.

LUKE: And f**ked in the mouth he got. FYI, that’s not the last time in the film you’ll see that, either, so don’t go in with a full stomach if you’re squeamish.

I won’t give you a blow-by-blow (I beg pun forgiveness), but we’re left discovering that the engineers that supposedly created the human race were looking to destroy it before their black, sludgy super weapon seemingly backfired on them.

Incidentally, if you’re wondering when the best time is to head out to the bathroom, wait until about 35 minutes in and slip out to answer the call of the wild after David doses Holloway’s champagne. You’re clear for about six minutes after this, and all you miss is a very PG “sex” scene.

DANNY: Feel free to flame me for this, but I’m going to call Prometheus a straight up prequel. They show direct linage. It’s set in 2089. The original Alien is 2122. Aliens, the sequel, 2179, and so on.

LUKE: You’re right in that it’s set in the right time and place(s) to be a prequel to Alien, but I don’t thing it’s as “straight-up” as you say. Prometheus feels to me more like a branch of the Alien universe.

Overall, it’s a great watch, but you have to know what you’re getting yourself into. Everyone who has ever directed a decent Alien film — be it Ridley Scott, James Cameron or David Fincher — brought their own style of storytelling with them. Ridley Scott’s original emi>Alien was a futuristic thriller, James Cameron’s Aliens was a war film set in space and David Fincher’s Alien 3 was a closed-house horror. Ridley Scott brought his thriller tools back with him for Prometheus and gives us a great ride in this universe.

Thanks to that familiar style of storytelling, you’ll also learn a lot about Alien lore as you watch Prometheus. You’ll see lots of critters hell-bent on strangling, beating or violating you to death, you’ll see the other races that share the universe with us, and you’ll see a lot of Weyland Corporation’s awesome tech.

DANNY: Prometheus certainly shares more “DNA” with Alien, than the sequels. But it also doesn’t quite feel like an alien movie, except for that awesome scene where Noomi Rapace gets her stomach robo-sliced. Her bloody getaway was when of the best parts of the film for me, right up until she ran back into her would-be killer proto-Bishop synthetic David and the revelation that the ancient bag-of-bones that is Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) has been alive and on board the whole time. Then it’s all like, oh, hey, awkward. WTF?

LUKE: As weird as it makes me sound, the self-surgery scene was my favourite. I hate doctors and I’m mad for DIY. I want one of those machines in my house for sure. But you’re right, the gear change after the crazy surgery scene was clunky.

DANNY: There were a few moments in the movie like this for me, including the whole thing where the bro-captains do a Kamakazi Thelma and Louise-style run into the ship headed to Earth. I can’t quit youuuu!

LUKE: Yeah that was weird. Also, how are the audience meant to know that the Captain is a “shit pilot” as mentioned by a guy I’m calling “Underdeveloped Pilot Character 1″? Another example of too much going on I guess.

DANNY: For all its faults, I thought Prometheus was one of the better sci-fi movies I’ve seen in quite a while -– and the 3D even looked pretty great. I have a new rule: I’ll only see movies in 3D if they’re actually natively shot with 3D cameras. I did miss the use of James Cameron-style miniatures, though. The ships in this movie don’t quite have the gritty lived in feel -– but wow, it is a beautifully filmed and realised movie. It contains approximately 1300 digital effect shots led by Moving Picture Company and backed-up by a range of FX shops, including Weta Digital.

LUKE: You’re right about the look. I’m put off by 3D, so much so that I’ll always try and see the 2D-version of a movie while treating the 3D-version as a last resort, but Prometheus blew me away, especially in IMAX.

While on the topic of visual effects and art direction, mobile software manufacturers like Apple and Google need to tap designer talent from this movie. Much like in The Avengers, the UI designs on the Prometheus are gorgeous and something we need to see more of in the real world.

The soundtrack in Prometheus is also worth a mention. Solid homage to the original Alien film.

If you go into the theatre expecting a film that breaks as much ground as Ridley Scott’s original Alien film back in 1979, you’ll leave sorely disappointed. But if you watch this film as a great sci-fi romp that takes place in the alien universe, you’ll have a great time.

Does it have some faults? Sure. Should you see it? Definitely.

Loved it? Hated it? Think we’re full of shit? Tell us what you thought of Prometheus in the comments.

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There was a tune used in the opening shots, and reused throughout the film, where the engineer... I dunno melts himself and supposedly creates human life? that I swear was going to break into one of the Star Trek theme songs! Curious to know how they went from vagworms to giant octopus face frakers? Agree with Danny on what you would or wouldn't do. Definitely some homages to Alien , particularly that scene with Theron using the flame thrower to keep the dude of the ship, reminds me of Ripley keeping Kane off the ship when the facehugger gets him. Overall great film, just wish I hadn't gone into it, seeing/trying to find connections between this film and the original Alien. Definitely recommend it; just switch parts of your brain off!

By my understanding the step between penis worm and vagina with legs is more to do with the infection of Holloway and impregnating Dr Shaw, the giant vag squid had resemblence to the smaller version seen in Alien.

Also, the alien ship in Prometheus isn't the one from Alien, my guess is that will be explored in a sequal, and my personal theory is that Dr Shaw is in the space suit/seat, the hole in the chest lines up more with a smaller human in the suit then one of the engineers body size, so perhaps she is still infected and from her the chest buster is born

My understanding was the vagworms came from mutating the live worms that they showed a close up on as they first entered the chamber, and the octopus could have been a twist on mutated sperm from that infected guy. I know its a stretch but that's what I took away from it

Well, Did you not notice that when the alien ship fell when Prometheus crashed into it. There was a frame of it laying their. In Aliens 2179 on the colonial planet when the two explores are sent to explore the alien area the exact ship is laying their and they discover it. They are in fact on the very same moon and that is the same ship. The alien at the end of the movie Prometheus is the alien from the movies but it has obviously evolved. That is why the ship is filled with alien eggs, so I believe it is a prequel.

Yeah different moon, sadly I thought it was the same at first, but there was no pilot in the chair by the end of Prometheus, as I said, I think the pilot is Dr Shaw...perhaps a sequal will begin with that, or end....then again, David said there were many ships...

I'm sorry but I do think you guys are full of shit if you are applauding this film (movie), the first 30 minutes of it is so boring. It has a good cast list and amazing detail in the effects but that's about it. Nothing really happens in this movie, there is so many plot holes such as... (Why does David spike the drink/go rogue) The only thing in this movie that made me go wow was the casarean. Everything else was utter shite. Ridley Scott I am ashamed in you. Some advice, the trailer is quite possibly the most interesting thing about the movie. It promises a terrfying experience mixed with amazement when it really only offers a "Wait, so what happened?" and a 5 minute thought after the movie. Straight up, it's only worth 2/10 stars. Too long, too boring, too many plot holes. 3D was crap too, there was only 3 moments when the 3D came to life, everything else could have been watched in 2D and saved a lot of money.

Danny - Only plot hole you mention could be explained, "Why does David spike the drink/go rogue". He spiked the drink on request from Perter Weyland. He was program to help with finding "the answers" at any cost. Peter Weyland was going to die out there and didn't really care about his crew. He only cared for his daughter, that is why she had her own personal life pod. I do agree with the use of 3D that there was only a number of moments that was worth 3D, but I am personally happy with that because I rather watch it at home in 2D. I would hate to watch a movie at home in 2D, thinking it is crap in 2D I could only watch it in 3D.

Andrew, Weyland didn't care about his daughter at all because she wasn't a son, hence why he made a droid son.
I'm still troubled by how much it appeared that David knew without any explanation other than watching videos. But it was as if he knew what was in the vases and he knew what to do with it. Although if the purpose was to help his wrinkly father live forever then I'm not sure what they thought the key was there.
There were a few things that bothered me though; the plot was very jerky with inexplicable character motivations, the surgery pod was calibrated for a male despite it being located in Vickers life pod. I debated whether it was actually for Weyland but it wasn't in his section and surgery would have been unlikely to help him anyway. I think the cases being sent back to earth was actually to reboot the human race, disintergrate us all and restart human evolution, but I don't understand why the humanoid aliens were recorded as running away from something on sparkle-vision. I thought perhaps they were running from their own kind as their job was now complete and the Engineers didn't want witnesses to the genocide of earth? Although this doesn't explain why one of them was running INTO the vase room. Were they infected too? Is that why the reanimated head exploded?

The surgery pod was for bypass surgery. Someone said that during the film and it could be deduced that it would be used by Weyland since he's so old and would most likely require some sort of surgery if he was nearing his death.

I second you on that Danny. Anyone who claims this was somehow a film has no idea whatsoever.

First off: It would have made more sense to see Micky Mouse (and far more entertaining & logical) emerge from the body of the Engineer in the last scene. The film has absolutely nothing to do with the Alien's canon or universe.

Second: This was a concerted effort on Scott's part to destroy Aliens. As Lucas did with Indiana Jones (Crystal Skulls) and Star Wars these film makers are sick of the monsters (literally) they've created. There is no other logical explanation for the shit that they served up.

Third: The horror was cheap, lazy and of the worse kind. A good film doesn't need scary music to tell me when to be scared. The score sets the mood before the action! Watching a kid go down a stair case flipped over whilst rotating her head is scary. No need for an over the top score.

Fourthly: The technology i.e. travelling 35 light years in 2 years makes no sense. Huge cavernous spaces in a space ship (yeah right). Imagine if Kubrick had of made this film. Every item's utility and purpose would have been determined, and would make sense. Even Cameron with Avatar made an attempt to explain, visually, an interstellar ship with its drive and fuel system. The Alien technology. Really a biological weapon? It makes no sense people. Advanced interstellar civilizations capable of faster then light travel would have the power to nova/supernova a sun. They wouldn't need to construct precarious stone/glass pots filled with a weapon that could easily back-fire. Also why not pack several hundred androids into the ship. You know have a mobile work force/army. Land them on the planet. Sit in orbit. Let them deal with the aliens and then land once the site was secured. No just 17 people decide to land on a planet and romp around like idiots.

Five: The photography, art direction and direction are just terrible. The actors grounded out scene after scene clearly not really understanding what the fuck they were doing. So much is cut that I'm unsure whether to be thankful or angry. Compared to Avatar (which was a pretty silly film) the external shots of planets are absolutely pitiful.

The only use of 3d in the film that actually contributed to the telling of the story was the floating titles at the beginning.

Worse of all, the biggest crime that the director & writer should be chained to a rock and have their liver eaten for eternity, by an eagle (stupid fucking name for a movie, promethesus), and that is the destruction of the H.R Gigers concept. The reason why Alien and Aliens was so successful was the great concept art that Giger created. The alien is Giger's child. Something so unique. No one could look at Giger's work and go "oh he stole that element from blah blah". No the Alien, the hive, that dark forboding, mencing creature is what made Alien such a successful horror.

Prometheus had no monster, nothing unique or scary. For fucksake the Engineers were as scary as a hat full of assholes.

You know I'm a pretty easy going critic. Hell I even thought the "the last action hero" was a good film but films like Prometheus are the reason why I will continue to pirate. I lost $50 bucks yesterday seeing this film and i'm never going to get back my money and 2 hours of my life.

I think David, like other android in Alien films only follow instructions, in this movie however I think David was instructed by Weyland to try harder! I think this movie has Alien's reference everywhere right from the start, the space jocky, the facehugger, the chestbuster, and the best of all, the what looks like a very first generation of xenomorph burst out of the engineer's chest, it's a excellent film, so long as to try not to make it something it isn't, it's just a made believe sci-fy horror flick!

No, the point is that by introducing 17 characters, it's clear that the majority of them are clearly extraneous, which sets the movie up from an early stage to be a conventional sci-fi/horror where extraneous characters do illogical dumb-shit (poking a hentai-tentacle-penis alien) and getting killed.

It's a fair point though - with a crew so large, we're not going to be able to get to know everyone that well. The characters were so thinly painted. You might say that's nick-picky, but when you want to create an emotional response from the audience, you have to make the audience care about the characters. We were supposed to care when the two pilot guys (and I challenge you to remember their names without checking IMDB) and Stringer Bell from the Wire sacrifice themselves to save Earth (or whatever) but we don't know anything about them? They spend the whole movie arguing about that bet. Neither of them do anything to move the plot along, or contribute to the story, and then all of a sudden, music swells and "We're going to save Earth! Because... well, I mean why else are we here?"

Compare it to the original Alien. A much smaller crew, and we get to know about each of them and their motivations for being there, so when they do eventually die, we care. Prometheus just felt too busy, Too weighed down with its own importance to bother about actually developing interesting or smart characters.

It's vintage Scott in terms of the visuals. They are stark, sharp and absolutely stunning. I saw it in 2D. In terms of themes it raises some good questions but then can't be bothered to answer them or even hint at an answer. Which leads to my next point...

Something crappy happened with the writing. I'm blaming Damien Lindelof for that.He loves asking BIG questions. The cast was great but it seemed like most of them didn't have much to work with. I thought Fassbender and Rapace were both fantastic but then again they were the only characters with decent development.

Could have been great. Could have been on the Inception/Moon/Sunshine/District 9 level or better, but instead it's just a popcorn muncher.

Despite the visual appeal of this film it felt to me like a stalling of Ridley Scott's imagination. Too many elements from his other movies crowded out any space for really startling new ideas or for characters to have their own spaces. The Weyland character and industry is just the Tyrell Corporation (Blade Runner) in another guise. It was a waste of Guy Pearce's talents and his prosthetic make up was unconvincing. To use an old fashioned word, this film has a heroine, Shaw, almost identical to Ripley except she has shorter curls. Like others, I found Shaw's self surgery compelling but it didn't really make much sense. The surgical machine was clearly identified as being intended for males only. The first scan of her body would have revealed her as female and the machine should have stopped right there. I'm also sure that any women who have had a Caesarian and seen Shaw's athleticism after the surgery would have laughed out loud. Overall, it's just a sci-fi film. It looks good but there aren't any new ideas or breathtaking storytelling or performances or characters.

Stop comparing it to Alien. They are two different films. I agree that Alien has a much tighter story, better characters etc but I also think it is the only film (of any genre) that has absolutely perfect pacing. Prometheus was never gonna live up to it.

I thought it was a fantastic movie but my two overall criticisms are:
a) it 'felt' too short, yes there was some jumping between plot points and underdeveloped characters. Don't think it was awful but it felt short
b) The film was too SUBTLE. The whole unanswered question thing doesn't bother me. Maybe it's the point. The characters didn't find what they were looking for, so why should we know? Not really knowing what the black goo is, fine we don't know. Not knowing the motivation of the engineers is frustrating though. It makes it difficult to grasp the plot of the story. There's a lot of little references going on. Dead 2000 years. What actually happened then? Why is there a mural of the Xeno on the wall?? Upon second viewing there are some very small touches here and there but I feel the overall film was too subtle in explaining things.

Alien and Blade Runner had ambiguities but they are OK. Why? There's JUST one major ambiguous point. Is deckard a replicant and where did the alien come from/what's the space jockey.

Prometheus opens up a whole bunch of things and it's alot to take in.

If anything, I would have preferred a complex story with mysteries BUT a closed story. Prometheus was far too open in it's mysteries and conclusion. Far too subtle to put everything together. Left a sequel opening quite strongly.

Couldn't agree more. Alien was a much tighter movie that was very focused in it's story and plot so it could effectively do more with less. Prometheus has a much more grandiose plot that I guess you could call complex. If they tried to explain everything it would come across a playing to the masses, you can't win. The thing I think they did get right was not answering everything on screen. Not everything should be, we all own an imagination and are more than smart enough to interpreted something. That is what you have to do.

It's a Riddly Scott doesn't make star trek style Sci-Fi. I wouldn't expect him to make Alien again, as that was 33 years ago and he and the writers want to tell a new story. I think they did that very well.

I really liked this movie. Quite a few mixed reviews out there. Lots of very negative reviews but lots of them seem to be from people who were not even paying attention during the movie. It's not a direct prequel to Alien. They're missing key moments which may be a bit subtle for the Michael Bay generation.

Prometheus is a bit like Bladerunner in that regard. You have to think between the lines a lot. But it's also mixed in with straight down the line "Alien things are bad" moments. Visually amazing as well :)

I quite enjoyed the movie but like many others who have commented here there are definitely a lot in the plot that has been left open.

I would have also liked an explanation as to why the so-called 'engineers' were developing a tool to eradicate the human race, perhaps we were flawed and didn't turn out the way they intended? Probably growing old isn't meant to happen?

I did feel a little squeamish during the caesarian scene although I did find it a bit of a joke when it STAPLED her wound together, in an age where we have all this technology, the best they could come up with is to STAPLE a wound? I was expecting the use of lasers or something to fuse the flesh back together...

This was the best film I've seen in years. Slow burn, insane atmosphere and amazing visuals. One of those films that makes you think for ages afterwards. I think there's a bit of sheep mentality in the way people are going overboard with their criticisms, just hope it doesn't put people off from making more big budget, smart movies.

I for one can't wait to see thr director's cut as I do feel that there are lots of plot holes in this film, I'd think James Cameron would have done a better job with a complex film like this.
You don't need to be a film student to notice the bad editing, rush cut, and lots of scene s cut from one place to another? Why the hell an intellegent woman such as Vicker couldn't simply run left in order to escape from being crush to death? Totally illogical!
No, it's not a perfect film, but yes, I'd love to see it again because it's entertaining even though it looks like it's been cut to pieces!

Ridley Scott purposefully left "gaping plot holes". He could have explained every little detail and spoon-fed the audience like babies (think original Blade Runner with Harrison Ford voice overs). But he preferred to leave it completely open (like his directors cut of BR with no voice overs) for us to fill the gaps with our imagination and arguments just like these.

When he and Lindelof were writing the film, Lindelof said it would piss a lot of people off leaving a lot of things unanswered (knowing from previous experience in the lost finale). But we're talking about Ridley Scott, of course he wants to piss people off! Most importantly though, he wanted to give us something you actually have to think and talk about. And not just sit there and be given every little thing - I like what someone said earlier about it being "a bit subtle for the Michael Bay generation", kudos John.

I don't feel there were issues with the story part of the script, i thought it was an excellent mix of the known and unknown for the viewer. My issue was that it was incredibly cheesy for such a serious film. I quote loosely "because I'm a human being and your a robot" seriously ? Sherlock Holmes himself would be impressed by your powers of deduction Ms. Shaw. Otherwise i enjoyed it, really keen to see it again to see what else it offers.

Really enjoyed it...went twice last week. If I had one issue it might be that I felt the whole final fight could have been a bit longer...possibly some cat and mouse kind of hunt or something a bit more suspenseful. As it was, that final conflict was over quicker than it started.

Personally I didn't mind there being 17 characters. They weren't all as well developed as in Alien, or even Cameron's Aliens, however Scott only really had about half a dozen actually contributing anything and the rest faded so far into the background that you barely noticed there was that many people there.

Actually my only other issue is I found Wayland pretty awkward. I'm not sure why they cast Guy Pierce in the role at all to be honest. Could have cast a no name if they didn't want him to be recognisable or someone like Anthony Hopkins if they wanted a veteran actor. As it was, the makeup looked a bit off.

Overall though I enjoyed it. I can understand why some people thought it was slow, but to be honest Alien would now days ben considered a slow film also. This wasn't as suspenseful, but I found it kept me engaged none the less.

There is a scene where Guy "Peter Weyland" is in his 40s in 11/10/2012 (the movie is set in future remember) gave a talk at T.E.D being used as marketing for the movie, I guess it'll be included on DVD as the date suggested? you can't see it on YouTube

The whole film was waaaaay too aspirational, and stunk of rewriting. The huge plot holes like the engineers running into the vase chamber, the deus ex machina moments and the unexplained or unbelievable motivations of almost all the characters made it a huge flop for me.
It was easily my most anticipated film of the year, but ended up being a massive disappointment.

More open than Inception, but unrewardingly so. Left me frustrated and feeling ripped off. I don't want to be spoon fed, but I don't want to have to look for strenuous links to create meaning.

On the positive side, it was incredibly beautiful, and did leave us questioning and discussing the film, if perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Movie was great and entertaining. As regards to plot holes people are saying. Go to prometheus-movie website and the forums do alot of research to talk about the backstory/concept of the film. Very interesting! Hope the movie is a success and a sequel is made because the movie does leave alot to be explored and explained for people who don't do their research, being mostly everyone lol.

I liked what they *could have* done with the engineers - it was such a deep question - how would you react if Earth were seeded by aliens? There was a great exchange with David and Charlie where David asks why he thinks humans created him and Charlie tells him "because we could." I thought it would be cool to see this explored in more detail and the true motivations of everyone behind this question. Plus, David tinkering with the black goo could have been him in the 'God' role engineering life of his own in a sense.

The scripting was - to me - barely adequate.
The movie felt disjointed, like it had been written / edited by several people and it ended up feeling like a mish-mash of different ideas. There were some great shining moments like the caesarean scene with the tempo building up but the scene straight after that with Weyland was flat. Too many clichés and the plot twists like him being on the ship and Vickers being his daughter were so evident.

Best character was what looked like Voldemorts brother, he was so angry, it was like he was getting revenge on all the muggles. Other than that, it looked amazing, but it feels like Ridley Scott should considering retiring. He would go out on a high note, even though the film wasn't amazing, it was good.

Serously over-budgeted B-movie. Effects and shotting were great as was the score. An ending like In caption that causes you to question moments in the movie yet make logical if contradictory conclusions is good writing, this was none of that.

1/ Black goo we are shown destroys the DNA of its consumer suddenly changes to produce strange worms and homicidal monsters??

2/ Poorly conceived reasons for travel, why would the 5 suns send the traveller to a secret military base

3/ Poor understanding of science, the distance issues, the high-speed growth of the organisms with no real detriment to the host and the flip-flopping on stomach injuries.

4/ The inability of the daughter to strafe wtf

5/ the terrible scene where daughter meets father that so telegraphed its intention that it seemed forced.

6/ People suggesting Weyland gave his daughter the escape pod when she goes out of he way to explain that isn't the case

7/ David watching Peter O'Tooles wonderful performance and then dying his hair, just why? Not to mention his ability to speak a language he has never heard and understand a language he has never seen written because it might have some roots in ancient human language?

8/ The attempt at making the geologist and biologist the comedic relief, not to mention their combined stupidity of all things related to their areas of expertise.

9/ The fact that this was a poorly conceived space movie that hashed in the alien concept without paying any tribute to the rich history it lives in and still fails to explain how or why the creatures form or transform into their different states.

It wishes it was Blade Runner or Inception and some fans will try and make that happen but it really was just poor writing.